Skip to main content

University of Michigan School of Information

Menu

Media Center

UMSI welcomes media inquiries

Research meets improv comedy at Gabriela Marcu’s newest initiative

Extra Credit. hear!say brewing and theater. First Sundays of the month at 6:30pm.

Tuesday, 09/24/2024

By Noor Hindi

Extra credit, anyone? 

Merging science and comedy, a new initiative by University of Michigan School of Information assistant professor Gabriela Marcu will bring researchers, comedians and community members in one room for an evening of learning, laughter and fun. 

The show is called Extra Credit, and it takes place the first Sunday of every month at hear.say, a brewpub and improv theater in Ann Arbor. The first event in the Extra Credit series is Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m. That show will focus on democracy – just in time for the national elections in November. 

“It can be silly, but I think the magic of improv is actually its ability to engage with difficult topics in a lighthearted way,” Marcu says. “Pairing improv with lectures, we get to learn together and dive into these subjects in a deep and meaningful way.” 

The structure of the event will feature three 10 minute presentations followed by 10 minutes of improv inspired by the research. Marcu, an improv performer herself, is excited to combine her love of theater and her love of research in one space. 

Ten years ago, after finishing her PhD, Marcu began improv as a way to meet new people, connect to her inner child and try something new. She fell in love with it instantly. 

“The more I did it, the more I loved it,” she says. “What struck me about it is how much I needed it. The entire process of getting your PhD is learning something deeply, becoming an expert and knowing exactly what you’re going to say and being very rehearsed. Improv is the total opposite, which made it terrifying and also exciting.” 

Marcu is hoping to bring improv’s spirit of “fun and play” to the School of Information. The first event will feature fellow UMSI faculty Mark GuzdialElle O’Brien and  Joyojeet Pal

Pal will be present on polarization and democracy. 

“The most exciting part will be seeing how improv professionals can take a serious subject and make something light hearted out of it,” Pal says. “I’m interested in the ways in which the classroom experience for complex subjects can be delivered through the use of new narrative techniques that make the material more memorable.”

RELATED

Extra Credit takes place the first Sunday of every month. The first installment is Sunday, October 6, 2024 from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM at hear.say brewing + theater